[A ship is always referred to as she] Because it costs so much to keep one in paint and powder.

ATTRIBUTION:

Rear Admiral CHESTER W. NIMITZ, answer when asked why a ship is always referred to as she, to Society of Sponsors of the United States Navy, Washington, D.C., February 13, 1940.Associated Press dispatch, The New York Times, February 15, 1940, p. 39.